One Pot Whole Wheat Veggie Mac and Cheese

It's official! I am running the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2015!!!! I am very excited about this and I am even more excited to be supporting a really great cause: Team Have Dreams.  This is an organization that supports people with Autism.   I decided to celebrate by going for a 9 mile run.  Things started off great, but then I noticed that it was HOT.  What is that about?  This is Chicago!  I swear I can't remember the last time I felt hot while running and I just wasn't ready for it.  I ended up having a pretty terrible run and I needed to walk a bunch.  Guess I'll have to start getting used to this new weather, though.  It is supposed to be 80 degrees today!

I will keep you all posted on marathon training take 2, but for right now, I'm just gonna relax :)

Oh, and tell you about this unbelievable meal!  I got really into one-pot meals during the winter.  I am super duper busy during the week as are most people so this sorta stuff is great.  You literally throw everything into one pot and cook.  How great is that?  What is really weird is that this a pasta dish!  I used whole wheat noodles, threw in my favorite veggies, mixed together some great tasting cheeses and ta-da!  It looks like a total mess, but comes out tasting amazing.  Plus, the pasta cooks perfectly!  I love this dish and it is completely vegetarian so Bri was pretty happy as well!

One Pot Whole Wheat Veggie Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 box whole wheat shell pasta
1 8 oz container of mushrooms
about 8 asparagus stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 container of grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup skim milk
1 cup vegetable broth
2 oz gruyere, cubed or shredded
2 oz colby jack, cubed or shredded
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
hot sauce, to taste

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the minced garlic, sliced mushrooms, and asparagus.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms start to shrink.
2. Add in all the other ingredients except the hot sauce, and bring mixture to a boil.  Stir everything, lower heat to medium-low, and cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the pasta is done.  Add in hot sauce at the end if you want!

Enjoy :)